Productized & niche business owners sound off on the changes of WordPress

This is the first roundtable of Season 8 where Matt Medeiros, Jason Resnick, Sara Dunn, and Nathan Allotey discuss the changes in the WordPress community. Each business owner talks about the challenges over the past year and how they have specialized in a niche or WordPress service.

Listen to this episode:

Productized & niche business owners sound off on the changes of WordPress

Many WordPress freelancers and agency owners are specializing or finding a niche in their businesses, They discuss how they need to adapt and change to the WordPress climate.

Jason Resnick – helps designers and developers specialize in their businesses and helps them with their revenue. Jason has two podcasts and is very experienced with membership sites. He can be found at Rezzz.com.

Sara Dunn – owns the boutique agency known as 11Web Agency. She has specialized her services and offers SEO for the Wedding Industry.

Nathan Allotey – can be found at nathanallotey.com. He is a freelance web designer and digital marketing strategist in Texas and hosts the freelance podcast which helps entrepreneurs with their startups.

Positioning Your Business:

Sara Dunn – never positioned her business where she just used WordPress. She concentrates on web design and marketing and offers the best option for her clients. She sees many agencies shifting to other platforms like Squarespace, which better suits some small website clients.

Jason Resnick – Business owners need the tools and technology that is right for their respective businesses. WordPress is still a great tool for developers but you need to work with the best fit for your clients. Be sure to ask the questions, “what is the problem that the business is trying to solve?” “What is best for your clients?” You can ramp up a business with less technical skills and you can build a great solution for your clients using WordPress.

Nathan Allotey – the changes in the tools and marketing are shifting to target small business or the entrepreneur looking for click and drag technology. People’s perception has changed on what WordPress designers and developers offer. There is a shift to usability and quick website building. There is much more to a website then a pretty presentation. The conversation shifts when the client tries to add functionality.

Benefits of Specializing:

Nathan Allotey – Your unique perspective and voice can help you target the audience where you want to specialize. You want to show your authority in your space.

Sara Dunn – uses YouTube with consistency to speak to other freelancers with the struggles she comes up against. The channel is used only for fun but other freelancers can see the challenges that may be presented in their business. It helps Sara build authority as somebody who has “been there/done that”. You can expand your services into other areas of consulting with ancillary services like YouTube or Podcasting consulting for your clients.

Jason Resnick – will experiment with many platforms. He has a daily and seasonal podcast called Live in the Feast. A guest can ask a question that Jason will answer on the show. People will often complain on social media, so you can show your authority by replying to the complainer with help. Becoming a Podcaster in your niche can be a great marketing tool for your services.

Cold Connections through Emails or Tweets:

Emails or Tweets can be used to easily find people to help you on your channels.

Nathan Allotey – always try to find a common connection. Do not be lazy and reach out with a common interest if you do not know the person. Research their site and channel. Be genuine and authentic. Try to find a spot in their schedule if they are willing to participate.

Sara Dunn – pitches within her Wedding Industry niche to be on other shows since she does not have guests on her Podcast channel. Being a guest on other podcasts have been an amazing way to find clients.

Hotseat Question – Work Goal for the Year?

Jason Resnick – working on a split schedule where he will work only in the morning and then again in the afternoon. He is working on staying focused during those scheduled hours and shares that schedule with his customers.

Sara Dunn – Be mindful of the work you are doing and enjoy it. Define what your favorite projects are and why. Keep notes on your projects to help you with your decisions.

Nathan Allotey – Choose to focus on one thing that gets you to your goal. Nathan is researching a product pyramid service of providing road mapping sessions for a client to plan out the projection for the year. Nathan is also working on a book around the user experience where you can help create the perfect website.